Diastasis Recti is the stretching and separation of the two sides of your rectus abdominis — the “six-pack” muscles — along the linea alba, the band of connective tissue that runs through the center of your abdomen. During pregnancy, this tissue naturally widens and thins to make room for your growing baby. Hormones like relaxin soften the tissues, and the abdominal wall adapts so your belly can expand. In other words, some level of separation is completely normal and necessary.

Postpartum, many people notice that the gap in their midline doesn’t fully close right away. This may show up as a visible ridge or bulge when sitting up, or as a feeling of weakness and lack of support through the core. The key thing to understand is that healing is not about “closing the gap” perfectly, but about whether your core can create tension across the linea alba and manage pressure well. Some women maintain a small gap and have full function, while others may feel soft, unstable, or see coning when pressure leaks forward.

Healing, then, isn’t just about direct core strengthening exercises. It’s about retraining the whole system: breath mechanics, rib and pelvic alignment, and pelvic floor coordination. When those pieces work together, pressure is distributed evenly, tension builds across the midline, and your core regains its strength and support.

Why Breath and Ribs Matter for Healing

Breath is more than just oxygen exchange — it’s the foundation of how your core manages pressure. Every inhale and exhale influences whether your abdominal wall feels supporte. When you take a breath in, the diaphragm lowers, your ribcage expands, and pressure fills the entire core system. On the exhale, the diaphragm rises back up, the ribs return toward neutral, and that pressure is transformed into tension that supports your midline.

If the ribs are stuck in a flared position — angled up and out — that pressure has nowhere to go but forward. Instead of creating balanced tension, it pushes directly into the linea alba, the very tissue we want to heal. This is why coning or doming often shows up during exercises or daily movements.

On the other hand, when the ribs are able to stack over the pelvis and expand in all directions, pressure spreads evenly through the system. The result is better balance, more uniform tension, and the environment the midline needs to strengthen and recover.

Breathing Mechanics 101

The goal is to restore a 360° pattern of expansion and recoil so that the diaphragm, ribs, abdominal wall, and pelvic floor can work together again.

On the inhale, the ribs expand in all directions — front, sides, and back — while the diaphragm descends. This gentle downward pressure allows the pelvic floor to lengthen and the abdominal wall to stretch without bulging forward. On the exhale, the ribs draw back down and in, the diaphragm rises, and the pelvic floor naturally recoils. The abdominal wall responds by creating tension, not from bracing or gripping, but from an even spread of pressure across the midline.

The magic comes from consistency. Each breath is like a rep that retrains your system. Over time, these reps of inhale and exhale restore better pressure regulation, improve the ability of the linea alba to transfer load, and lay the groundwork for more demanding strength work. Before heavier lifting or advanced ab drills, this breathing foundation teaches your core how to support itself from the inside out.

This is where I encourage every postpartum woman to start, and to practice in various positions, too.

The Role of the Ribs

Your ribcage is not just a frame for your lungs — it’s an active player in how your body breathes, regulates pressure, and ultimately supports core healing. The way your ribs are positioned and how well they can move directly determines whether your diaphragm, pelvic floor, and abdominal wall are working together or fighting against each other. If your ribs are restricted, you will struggle to truly master your 360 breathing.

For those with rib flare postpartum, the diaphragm can’t move through its full range of motion. Inhales tend to stay shallow and chest heavy, while exhales are incomplete — the ribs never fully come back down and in. This leaves the abdominal wall under constant forward pressure. Every breath cycle sends force straight into the linea alba, the very tissue that needs balanced tension to heal. Instead of creating firmness across the midline, pressure leaks forward into the gap.

Improving the ability for the ribs to move through both phases — expanding on the inhale and closing back down on the exhale — is what allows pressure to be managed evenly again. Restoring expansion into the side and back ribs gives the diaphragm room to descend, creates space for the pelvic floor to lengthen, and reduces over-reliance on the upper abs or chest. In simple terms, more rib mobility equals better breath mechanics, which equals better pressure management across the midline.

Once the ribs can also stack over the pelvis and move fluidly, the abdominal wall and pelvic floor can do their jobs without being overloaded.

The Rib-Pelvis Stack For Better Rib Mobility

The diaphragm and pelvic floor are designed to work like a piston. When the ribs can stack over the pelvis — meaning they are angled down just enough to sit in line with the hips — the system starts to work together. In this alignment, breath can spread evenly in all directions, pressure is distributed through the entire canister of the core, and the abdominal wall can respond by creating uniform tension. This stacked position is not about forcing the ribs down or tucking the pelvis under, but about finding a balanced “neutral” that allows each inhale and exhale to do their job.

By improving breath mechanics, restoring rib mobility and rib-pelvis stack, the system can sync back up:

• The pelvic floor learns to lengthen and recoil naturally, rather than staying tense or weak.
• The abdominal wall begins to create balanced tension, instead of relying on gripping or bracing.
• The linea alba is supported under pressure, encouraging closure and strength instead of bulging or separation.

This is why rib position and mobility matter so much for Diastasis Recti healing. Without them, breath is incomplete, pressure leaks forward, and the core feels unstable. With them, each inhale and exhale becomes a rep that strengthens and restores function to the midline.

Practical Exercises for Rib Mobility and Breath

These moves are about teaching your ribs, breath, and core system how to work together again. Each exercise helps restore expansion, improve rib-pelvis alignment, and create the tension your midline needs for healing.

1. 90/90 Hip Lift with Reach
Lying on your back with knees bent and feet on a wall, gently tuck your pelvis so your lower back is supported. Reach your arms overhead toward the ceiling as you exhale. This position teaches your ribs to stack over your pelvis, setting the foundation for balanced breath and pressure.

2. Short Seated Wall Reach
Sit with your back against a wall, feet out in front. As you exhale, reach your arms forward and slightly up, feeling the ribs draw back and expand through your mid-back. This drill emphasizes posterior rib expansion — a key area that often gets “stuck” postpartum.

3. Prone Breathing
Lay face down with a foam roller under your chest. Inhale deeply and aim to expand your breath into the ribs that are pressing against the roller. The feedback helps you feel side and back rib expansion more clearly, improving mobility and diaphragm function.

4. Side Lying Breathing with Rib Smash and Forward Reach
Lie on your side with a foam roller or ball pressed gently into your lower ribs. As you inhale, focus on expanding the back and side ribs into the roller, not just the belly. On the exhale, reach your top arm forward, letting the ribs close and draw back down. This gives tactile feedback to improve rib mobility, encourages expansion where it’s often limited, and teaches rib closure with each exhale. It’s a powerful way to retrain breath mechanics and midline tension

5. Hooklying Serratus Reach
On your back with knees bent, hold a band or light weight in both hands. Exhale and reach your arms toward the ceiling, allowing ribs to wrap down and in while maintaining abdominal tension. This is a powerful drill for midline tension and rib closure.

6. Tall Kneeling KB Halo
In a tall kneeling position, hold a kettlebell at your chest and slowly circle it around your head. Keep ribs stacked over pelvis as you rotate. This challenges rib closure and core stability under movement — a big step toward functional strength.

7. Seated Banded Reciprocal Row
Sit with a band anchored in front of you. Pull one arm back as the other reaches forward, then alternate. Focus on how your ribs expand and rotate with each pull. This integrates core strength, rib mobility, and breath under dynamic movement.

8. Banded Cat-Cow
Set up on all fours with a light band anchored in front of you and held in both hands. Move slowly between rounding your spine up (cat) and extending your chest forward (cow). Use your inhale to expand into the back ribs as you round, and your exhale to guide the ribs down and stack as you extend. The band provides gentle feedback to keep shoulders and ribs connected, making this a great drill for back mobility and breath coordination.

Final Thoughts

Healing Diastasis Recti isn’t just about strengthening your abs — it’s about retraining how your whole core system manages pressure. Breath and rib mechanics sit at the center of that process.

When the ribs are flared and stuck in inhalation, pressure escapes forward into the linea alba, keeping the midline soft and overstretched. But when the ribs can stack over the pelvis, expand fully on the inhale, and close back down on the exhale, pressure spreads evenly. This allows the diaphragm, pelvic floor, and abdominal wall to work together again, building tension and stability where it’s needed most.

Rib mobility exercises and breath focused drills create the environment for healing by restoring expansion, improving alignment, and reducing compensation patterns like upper ab gripping. From there, the core becomes more resilient, responsive, and ready for strength training.

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If you’re ready to go beyond the basics and rebuild your core from the inside out, my 3-Phase Core Program was designed for exactly this. Across Foundations → Rebuild → Advanced, you’ll retrain your breath and rib mechanics, restore pelvic floor coordination, and progress into strength work that actually carries over into daily life and lifting.

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